Some more ideas on growing the Nationals

[sidecar bob]

Sound of thunder is a BEARs event, and has PRIZE MONEY.

Road race spectacular...three days thrashing, for piss all over $100, why wouldn't heaps of people show up?

Interestingly enough the Road Race Spectacular is essentially run by two enthusiastic & intelligent competitors, without a committee in sight. Why exactly is it so popular??
I do know that the organisers are always responding to suggestions & listening very hard to the competitors even when you think they arent.

[cowpoos]

Interestingly enough the Road Race Spectacular is essentially run by two enthusiastic & intelligent competitors, without a committee in sight. Why exactly is it so popular??
I do know that the organisers are always responding to suggestions & listening very hard to the competitors even when you think they arent.

like the Vic club...who has a fantasticly popular series!!

[Robert Taylor]

Depends on if they wanted to be the national champion or not, lol hey but Im just trying to contribute best as I can, Im a nobody in this league

Dont beat youself up Quasi, youve come up with some very good ideas. You may sell leathers that compete with thiose peddled by my business partner but your demeanour and contributions are worthy of respect

[Kickaha]

Really ? on what basis
where there large crowds and advertising dollars spent, what was the prize money for the riders, did TV do more coverage of CHCH over the other rounds?

I wouldn't say large crowds but the crowd at Auckland was the smallest from any round I attended and being next door to the largest population in NZ that's not what I'd expect

There are several contributing factors that hurt Puke this year.

Which are?

Can you imagine anyone bothering to build a bike for one meeting?

Actually to win a National Championship on one track at one weekend I can, if you wanted the championship you'd build the bike, do all the possible club days there plus at least a trackday a month to give yourself an advantage, you'd become a one track wonder to win the NZ champs

What would the racer pick?

I'd pick a series over several tracks myself even though I see a lot of advantages to a one off meeting it just doesn't have the same appeal

Does anyone know the figures for an hour segment on telle, to cover the national events we have now, (that will likely not be changed in the next couple years)?

Scrivy said 10,000+gst for 45 minutes for the Tri series, I'm not sure how long after the event it was shown or how it compares to what was spent on Nationals coverage

like the Vic club...who has a fantasticly popular series!!

Yet the same people who supply huge grids for that series don't even suport the local Championship round that Vic club holds

[Robert Taylor]

Can you imagine anyone bothering to build a bike for one meeting?
Interesting idea but the wrong direction I'm sure.
A series is a great thing; I travelled to all the rounds after teretonga and watching the races in all classes evolving throughout the series was great.

What was lacking was spectators. Advertising to the converted is where most of the effort has gone recently, although I did see a bit on telly. How about getting into a national chain where all forms of life visit on a regular basis, gas stations would be the simplest and most effective. One doesn't need lots of money to get into their distribution network either. I'm suggesting a poster in every petrol station of one brand throughout NZ, and to top it off tickets available there too, discounted if one buys a certain amount of motion lotion that'll scratch the sponsors(supporters) back.
Once joe blow walks out of the gas station with his cheap ticket he'll tell his mates, with a bit of luck they'll grab a chilly bin and go along too, more spectators more impact for the sponsors. More spectators more justification to the TV folk that this sport is popular and it snowballs from there.

Talking the right way to said national distribution people I'm sure it could come down to a little more than printing costs a lot cheaper than through a lot of other medias.
How many times have you and your mates gone to a gas station this week as a opposed to the local motorcycle shop??

Yep, it is a fantastic spectacle, car racing in comparison is a big yawn.

[Robert Taylor]

And so remind me when was the last time you did any road racing?

So what you are in effect intimating is that because I am not a racer I am totally unqualified to comment..... Point of fact without industry support ( which is substanial ) and many willing helpers many road racers over the years wouldnt have been able to get their ''fix''. Your friend the ''everything should be stock standard guy'' spent a number of laps on a TZ750 that I spent many hours on, totally unpaid.
There are so many users in this sport that take so much for granted. Time they got in the real flipping world and stopped preaching a shonky flipping morality.

[scracha]

Interestingly enough the Road Race Spectacular is essentially run by two enthusiastic & intelligent competitors, without a committee in sight. Why exactly is it so popular??
I do know that the organisers are always responding to suggestions & listening very hard to the competitors even when you think they arent.

Holy fuck ... glad someone figured out my previous comment. Dictatorships can actually work

Scouse...whilst I agree with some of your posts from time to time I don't think input onto a successfully ran meeting with lots of spectators has to come from a successful or current road racer. In fact, I'd say quite the opposite. As I've said before, good football players more often than not make $hit managers and good motorcycle racers are not different. Being good at racing motorcycles does not mean you have great intellect, business, people and marketing skills.

Quasi's idea has merit.

You guys can waffle all you like about MNZ fixing this and that. Personally I think MNZ is fucked for road racing and unless it drastically changes then there's a stronger chance that the money, spectators and riders will be attending more events ran by scrivvy and bob and their ilk than the "official" nationals.

[Robert Taylor]

No I haven't taken taylors comment out of context he was clearly having a snide underhanded swipe at the present CEO of MNZ and as a freind of Paul Pav I will bite back. so go and fuck yourself drew.

You know, this is the silly thing, I disagree with Pauls ideas but not his intent and can still hold a cordial conversation with him. That you are adopting a bully boy demeanour (some may call it lack of breeding ) on his behalf ( whether he has asked for it or not ) does Paul no favours at all.

[Drew]

You know, this is the silly thing, I disagree with Pauls ideas but not his intent and can still hold a cordial conversation with him. That you are adopting a bully boy demeanour (some may call it lack of breeding ) on his behalf ( whether he has asked for it or not ) does Paul no favours at all.

How would you set up a bike, for whatever the road to hell is paved with RT?

Anyhoo, back on topic.

$10,000 for 45 minutes is quite a lot of money, when considering there are five rounds. But by doing nothing but increasing the licence fee for road riders by $100, it is covered nearly twice.

So we could use the rest of the money, to advertise, and get more arses in seats. That in turn creates revenew of it's own, and a snowball is born.

Lets ask the racers, would that $100 per anum be worth it, and would they pay? I would.

[scracha]

Lets ask the racers, would that $100 per anum be worth it, and would they pay? I would.

There's a few punters on the race scene I'd pay the extra $100 towards but MNZ aint one of them mate.

[AndrewStroud]

Although I appreciate where everyone is coming from, I feel that only one event would not work. Maybe 2 events one North and one South Island? However the beauty of the NZ nationals is that the racers get to race on several tracks. This sometimes gives some home track advantage, while others have to show how fast they adapt, and this is part of the game.

I would say keep it as it is, but have one huge event at the end, like a grand finale, this can count for a third of the points on its own, and have massive publicity etc.

This GP here and then TT there does not make sense. We should race the season and then finish off with a big one as celebration and acknowledgement of what we have done the year.

100% Agree

ANDREW STROUD- Speak up please mate ha ha, Andrew said some thing very very similar to me on Saturday at Taupo

Shaun, I'm trying to remember what I'm supposed to speak up about....
If it's regarding the above post; I agree as well. I'd be surprised if any of the distributors would prepare a bike for one National event. In considering promo value; -currently there are numerous magazine and newspaper articles surrounding each National meeting. If there was only one event then it would need to be a massive one to make it stack up. Also how do you make it such a big event?? Just calling it the NZ Nationals??
I'd rather look to enhance the current series myself. ...
- Re GP & TT; They could carry double points to give them some more seriousness while setting them apart from the other races.
- Re Teretonga; Be great if the Burt Munroe festival was at the right time of year to hold a National round at. Or could the National dates change to have the Teretonga round on that weekend. Could mean all the South Island rounds done before Christmas..............

[CHOPPA]

Shaun, I'm trying to remember what I'm supposed to speak up about....
If it's regarding the above post; I agree as well. I'd be surprised if any of the distributors would prepare a bike for one National event. In considering promo value; -currently there are numerous magazine and newspaper articles surrounding each National meeting. If there was only one event then it would need to be a massive one to make it stack up. Also how do you make it such a big event?? Just calling it the NZ Nationals??
I'd rather look to enhance the current series myself. ...
- Re GP & TT; They could carry double points to give them some more seriousness while setting them apart from the other races.
- Re Teretonga; Be great if the Burt Munroe festival was at the right time of year to hold a National round at. Or could the National dates change to have the Teretonga round on that weekend. Could mean all the South Island rounds done before Christmas..............

Im sure for someone like you there could be some good money to be made being a promoter and there has been talk that MNZ needs a paid promoter as well, maybe when you have had enough of racing....??

[Drew]

There's a few punters on the race scene I'd pay the extra $100 towards but MNZ aint one of them mate.

I asked if you would pay the extra $100 to get the nationals televised, not what you think of MNZ.

[Quasievil]

I'd be surprised if any of the distributors would prepare a bike for one National event.

But it wouldn't be one event would it mate, you have for example Wanganui, Paeroa, Road Race Spectacular, Numerous club events and a three day National round it would certainly be viable to build a bike (and arent they getting easier to build with changes in the regs?)

In considering promo value; - Also how do you make it such a big event?? Just calling it the NZ Nationals??

It would need a focused team of people or a promoter to get it off the ground it would need to be done in a similar way to organising a (thinks of a comparison) Crusty Demons, or A1 GP or Hamilton 400 etc, it needs to be multi focused ie entertainment, product displays, stunt shows, dirt shows, motard display, Incorporate a NZ Bike show, I could think of 100 things to have going to make it cool from a lap of Honour with some top racers of past and current to some Hot Brolly dolly competitions, have some good bands playing at night for the campers.

I know it breaks the mould and its sounds so BIG and Circus like But if you want exposure Money and People you need to GIVE PEOPLE A SHOW . I would guarantee that a event like this would succeed in reaching the goals, the only potential drawback for the riders is the reduction in the number of events to secure the title, but over a 3 day event Im sure 4-6 races could be worked in for each class (better get fit eh).

Please note my earlier comment however where I suggested that a level of qualification could be gained from club level racing or an event like the road race spectacular, this would be to qualify the competitors as I believe there would be shitloads of entries, in saying this however off shore racers would need to be rated accordingly for entry.

Advantages

*Lower costs for each racer (via travel costs time off work etc)
*Bigger prize Money pool from increased revenue
*Increased Sport Exposure
*higher Media and Print coverage
*More Sponsorship revenue from bigger sponsors (and more of them)
*More Sponsorship dollars for the racer himself (I believe)
*Larger Attendances from the public
*Increased exposure for the riders sponsors
*More international riders (I believe)

Think Hamilton 400 on two wheels

Disadvantages are few

*Fewer Tracks utilised in the Series
*Potential home track advantage (solved by local club level points)
*(you guys can think of more I aint pissing in my own grave lol )

Thats my thinking anyway, different and will require some change of thought but based on the current moulds issues Im yet to here a better idea?

[Shaun]

Andrew, you SPOKE up perfect, you explained in your last post, what I was getting at, as you had said this to me at Taupo on Saturday.




I VOTE FOR QUASI